Srinagar: India banned a Kashmir-based Islamist political party called Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) for five years on Thursday, accusing it of supporting militancy in the disputed region that is at the heart of an escalating conflict with rival Pakistan.
Created in 1942, JeI participated in Indian elections for more than two decades before becoming engaged with separatist politics following the onset of militancy in Kashmir in 1989.
It is the third ban to be imposed on the organisation, which wants Kashmir to be independent from India.
Ministry of Home Affairs said JeI supports claims for secession of a part of India, and that if its activities were not curbed, it could cause trouble for the country. The government declared JeI an “unlawful association”.
